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Bhutto Jr steps into art world, raises hopes

Bhutto Jr steps into art world, raises hopes

It will be interesting to see how Pakistani politics features in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s art
Updated 23 Jun, 2017

“Why is being Muslim such a political issue? It’s not me, it’s you, the white man, you have called me out… I’m a Muslim because the white man tells me so.” These words sound passionately political. Yes, they are, but they were uttered by an artist — a Pakistani artist at that — in a little less than eight minute video interview that went viral on Thursday. The artist is Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, son of the late Murtaza Bhutto and grandson of the former prime minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Perhaps it’s in his blood to see things through a political lens. After all, as he mentions in the video, his father, grandfather, uncle and aunt — the last one was another prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto — all were murdered. The story of the family is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

However, the one thing that can be gleaned from the video is that at its very core is an art practitioner. He introduces himself as an artist of mixed Pakistani and Lebanese heritage (his mother Ghinwa Bhutto, who heads the Pakistan Peoples Party-Shaheed Bhutto, is of Lebanese origin.) At the outset he discusses the difficulty of being a queer performer in San Francisco. He switches to the idea of strong men, claims that to him masculinity is softness, and talks about putting together soft and hard images as an artist, using fabric collage, sound bites and videos. Wars in the world take place because of this concept of strength, he says. At that point the video, directed by Urvashi Pathania, cuts to Donald Trump’s speech where he is expressing his intention of a total shutdown of Muslims entering America. Bhutto reacts to it in a performance and describing that performance he raises the question “why is being Muslim such a political issue”.

What kind of effect does an artist belonging to such a high-profile political family have on the artist community of Pakistan and society at large, especially after the video being seen by so many people? And the party his family represents — Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — is in power in Sindh.

Talking to Dawn Sameera Raja, who runs the Canvas Art Gallery, said, “I’ve known Zulfi [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr] for many years and have been following his art. If somebody is from a high-profile family, more people will see his work, whereas other artists, who may be talking about the same things more openly, will not get noticed. It doesn’t matter what his concerns are. Whatever they are, he has to voice them. Of course, it will get projection because it’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but others will not get that kind of exposure. And that doesn’t just happen in art, it happens in every field.”

Artist Ayaz Jokhio was of the view that it might have some effect on society because of his political background, but in the creative realm it doesn’t mean anything. In the final analysis, it will be his art that will be evaluated, not what he says.

Artist Noorjehan Bilgrami said, “I haven’t seen the video so I’m not in a position to speak about his art whether it’s good or bad, but [him being a known person] it does have an impact on the public much more than anything else.”

Fashion journalist Mohsin Sayeed saw the video as a positive sign. According to him, there was a time when the Bhutto family, like the Gandhi family, was considered iconic. So, when they take such a step, it does influence society. Members of a political family always find themselves under pressures, which is why Zulfi’s video should be taken as a positive step, he said.

Politics often provides fodder to art. It will be interesting to see how Pakistani politics features in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s art, with his progression in life as a creative individual.


Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017

Comments

Khalid Jun 23, 2017 03:43pm
He is a real Bhutto not the ones who changed their name to include Bhutto (in their name) to fool the millions of uneducated Sindhis.
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Muhammad Jun 23, 2017 04:08pm
We were hoping that being the genuine heir of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto he would lead the poor Pakistani nation out of this quagmire of corruption and incompetence
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David S Jun 23, 2017 04:20pm
Good job Zulfi! performing arts is another way reaching the masses with your message - it seems you like what you do and your choice to choose will lead many to choose what really they desire to do!
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Alam Jun 23, 2017 04:23pm
Artist with political blood
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Ghazi Jun 23, 2017 04:26pm
@Muhammad why are we encouraging dynasty politics? He is not reincarnation of ZA Bhutto. Let him follow his passion.
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Jamal Jun 23, 2017 04:41pm
He is the real Bhutto, taking his grand daddy's mission forward. Jiye Bhutto.
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Muhammad Jun 23, 2017 04:57pm
@Ghazi "why are we encouraging dynasty politics? He is not reincarnation of ZA Bhutto. Let him follow his passion" Until and unless our nation in whole shun their love for dynastic politics we are compelled to chose one from these Bhutto or Sharif dynasties and keeping in view of leadership qualities of late Bhutto I am optimistic that junior Bhutto must have same qualities in his blood
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Sindi - Pak Jun 23, 2017 05:14pm
@Khalid - its racial word "uneducated Sindhi" mind your language. No bodies is fooled, it's them Who are fooled by themselves to grab power. Soon there will be dawn after dark night of corruption.
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Ali Jun 23, 2017 06:24pm
Go ahead young man..."Express Yourself"
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Ji Jun 23, 2017 10:39pm
Hope he unites with karan Johar soon. Nice to know. Future PM to show soft side of Pakistan
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Nasiroski Jun 23, 2017 11:55pm
Good for him for coming out as who he is, and speaking his mind, expressing who he is what he thinks, good for you young man.
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Fair opinions Jun 24, 2017 12:34am
Thanks God he has chosen a different field other than dirty politics.
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Syed Faheem Jun 24, 2017 12:54am
Glad to see ZABj is out of the closet. ..
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Chacha Jun 24, 2017 01:11am
@Khalid I agree with you except your "uneducated " comments. These are the people who welcome millions of people from all over the country and provide them a place to earn money with respect.
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Desi_Baba Jun 24, 2017 04:52am
Is he wearing a nail polish?
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